Growing up I was always mama's angel
Never thought I'd ever fall from grace
I was taught to walk for God and run from trouble
But I ran with a crowd that was bound to change my ways

Yeah, I was proud to be in the bad news crowd
The one my mama warned me about
The closest thing to hell she's ever raised

But when I look back on those days
I knew I'd never change a thing
I made mistakes that paved the way
For the man I am today

I'm proud of 'em all and I had a ball
Bending the rules and breaking the law

We were bad about sneaking out and shooting road signs
Throwing eggs and rolling every yard in town
Yeah, my claim to fame was a babe, Ruth swing on a mailbox
Yeah, the police just loved driving me around

'Cause I was proud to be in the bad news crowd
The one my mama warned me about
The closest thing to hell she ever raised

But when I look back on those days
I knew I'd never change a thing
I made mistakes that paved the way
For the man I am today

I'm proud of 'em all and I had a ball
Bending the rules and breaking the law

And you learn to walk the way you talk
The D-U-I means S-O-L, respect was earned
You live and learn to pray, yeah, yeah
You learn to pray

Yeah, we were proud to be in the bad news crowd
The one our mamas warned us about
The closest thing to hell they'd ever raised

But when I look back on those days
I knew we'd never change a thing
Made mistakes that paved the way
For the men we are today

I'm proud of 'em all, yeah, and we had a ball
Bending the rules and breaking the law

Yeah, I was bending the rules and breaking the law